Dow Sheds 250 Points as U.S. Debt Talks Falter

Stocks were dropping 2% as political deadlock over reducing the U.S.' $1 trillion deficit overshadowed the morning's merger news. In the video, Alix Steel discusses the risks of a recession.

Chao Deng

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Stocks were dropping 2% as political deadlock over reducing the U.S.' $1 trillion deficit overshadowed the morning's merger announcements.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 254.3 points, or 2.1%, at 11,541. The S&P 500, which dipped below 1200 for the first time since late October, was losing 25.5 points, or 2.1%, at 1190. Technical analysts are looking for the S&P 500 to hold a the 1180 level after breaking through several key technical levels in the prior week. The Nasdaq was shedding 56 points, or 2.1%, to 2516.

On top of uncertainty over Europe's debt crisis, debt matters in the U.S. are pressuring stocks this week.

A panel in Washington D.C. tasked with cutting the U.S. deficit by more than $1 trillion over the next decade is deadlocked over taxes. The U.S. super committee is expected to announce that it failed to reach its budget-saving goal on Monday, ahead of its Nov. 23 deadline for agreeing on a plan, according to Bloomberg.

"There was no great news from Europe over the weekend. The fact that the budget committee is throwing in the towel already suggests lawmakers weren't even close," said Uri Landesman, president of New York-based hedge fund Platinum Partners. Landesman added that consumer confidence and hope for possible stimulus from the Federal Reserve are some of the "last weapons" for the market.

The super committee's impasse sets a downbeat tone for the shortened Thanksgiving week. However, the news hardly comes as a surprise for many investors who had low expectations for lawmakers to accomplish much. Furthermore, it is unclear what immediate effect the super committee's failure will have on the U.S. heading into the election year.

Investors have continued to seek safety in the greenback with the perception that the U.S. will make good on its debt payments. According to Bloomberg, foreign banks doubled their dollar deposits at the Federal Reserve so far this year and the greenback has appreciated 7.2% since the U.S. lost its triple A credit rating from Standard & Poor's in early August.

"The key issue for the U.S. public finances is the plunge and subsequent weak recovery in tax revenues," according to Ian Sheperdson, economist with High Frequency Economics. "Stronger growth would change that picture quite quickly regardless of what the Super Committee does or does not do."

European stocks were down sharply. London's FTSE was losing 2.2%, and Germany's DAX was slipping by 2.7%. Overnight, Asian stocks closed down as Japanese exports fell for the first time in three months, and economic growth in Singapore was projected to slow. Japan's Nikkei Average was down 0.3%, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down 1.4%.

The threat of unsustainable borrowing costs in Italy, Spain and France put investors on edge about the eurozone last week. Stocks put in their worst week in about two months, with the Dow losing almost 3% and the S&P falling almost 4%. On the bright side, eurozone officials may be considering ways to fund their emergency rescue fund by allowing the European Central Bank to take on an expanded role.

In corporate news, Gilead Sciences(:GILD) agreed to buy Pharmasset(:VRUS) in a deal worth $11 billion. The transaction price of $137 a share in cash is an 89% premium to Pharmasset's closing price Friday of $72.67. Pharmasset was jumping 86%.

Insurance company Alleghany(:Y) is buying Transatlantic Holdings(:TRH) for $3.4 billion. Under the deal, Transatlantic shareholders will receive a per share amount of $14.22 in cash and 0.145 Alleghany shares for a total value of $59.79 a share. The deal will help Transatlantic ward off rival Validus Holdings(:VR), which has launched a hostile bid for Transatlantic. Shares of Transatlantic were rising 1.6% to $55.28.

Pfizer(:PFE) was dropping 0.9%. The drug company will pay more than $60 million to settle federal probes into whether it paid bribes to win business outside the U.S., according to The Wall Street Journal. The settlements are expected to be made public by the end of the year, according to sources in the report.

Hewlett-Packard(:HPQ), the computer and printer maker, reports fiscal fourth-quarter earnings after the closing bell Monday. The report is the first under CEO Meg Whitman, who joined the company in the middle of the quarter. Analysts expect HP to earn $1.13 a share on revenue of $32.06 billion. Shares were dropping 3.3%.

A report on Monday showed improvement in the nation's overall economic activity. The Chicago Fed National Activity Index for October rose to a reading of -0.13 from -0.2 in September, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

Existing home sales rose 1.4% in October, after a 3.2% loss in September, according to the National Association of Realtors. Sales came in at an annual rate of 4.97 million, better than economists expected, following 4.9 million in September.

"While this week faces more reports on domestic economic conditions, the positive news has been unable to overcome the negatives associated with the political data," writes Marc Pado, strategist with Cantor Fitzgerald.

The January crude oil contract was slipping $1.38 to trade at $96.29 a barrel. Gold for December delivery was down $12.90 to trade at $1712.20 an ounce.

The euro was dropping 0.4% against the dollar, which compared with a basket of currencies was up 0.43%. In the bond market, 10-year Treasuries were gaining 14/32, diluting the yield to 1.96%.